3 Things You Should Know about Uluru's Aboriginal Name Uluru-Ayers Rock: What’s in a Name? Many people ask us what is the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock means. So we’ve written this page to not only help you to learn what the original name for Ayers Rock is, but also to dispel some of the myths about Ayers Rock’s original name. We often see information written on the internet about Ayers Rock that simply isn’t true. For example, I’ve seen websites stating that Ayers Rock is the heart chakra of the world! Until recently, Wikipedia’s entry claiming that Uluru means ‘island mountain’. I’ve even heard one ignorant tour guide at Uluru’s base spreading this ‘island mountain’ meaning to tourists. Not only is this untrue, it’s also offensive to Aboriginal people who have their own spiritual traditions associated with the Rock. So we want to make sure that you have the real facts about Uluru – and especially about the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock. On this page, I (Amanda) will share my knowledge as an anthropologist and tell you the real story behind Ayers Rock’s original name. 1.

Uluru: The Original Name The Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock is Uluru. Uluru is a Yankunytjatjara word. Yankunytjatjara is the name of the Aboriginal people whose land Ayers Rock is located on. Uluru is not just the name of Ayers Rock itself, but also of the country around Ayers Rock. Uluru is in fact the name of a large tract of land where a particular sub-group of Yankunytjatjara people (anthropologists call this an ‘estate group’) live. 2. What Does Uluru Mean? Uluru is first and foremost a place name. It does not have any specific meaning, although it may have some connection to the Yankunytjatjara words for ‘crying’ and ‘shadows’. As I really wanted to know what the word meant, I asked Senior Traditional owners, Reggie and Cassidy Uluru and well known Alice Springs historian, Richard (Dick) Kimber, about the meaning of Uluru. After a few ignorant comments on this post, I then asked several Yankunytjatjara people who are highly skilled language interpreters about the meaning as well.

They all told me that Uluru was the name of the place, and that it had no specific meaning. I also read through the writings of Charles Mountford, one of the first anthropologists to live and work with Yankunytjatjara and Luritja people, and the books of Bill Harney (the first ranger at Ayers Rock). I consulted the anthropological work of Robert Lawton, who worked on land claims in the area during the 1970s. Mountford worked with Aboriginal people at Ayers Rock in the 1930s and 1940s. He records that Uluru is both the name of a Dreaming ancestor, a snake, AND the name of a rockhole that is a Men’s Sacred site located on top of the Rock. Traditionally, only initiated senior men could climb the Rock and visit this special site (this fact is often hidden from public knowledge, but is there in historical and anthropological records for anyone to discover.) Bill Harney arrived at Uluru in the late 1950s. He was told by the Aboriginal custodians of Uluru that it was a place name.

Robert Lawton was the anthropologist who interviewed all of the old people for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Land Claim. He also established that Uluru was a place name. After doing this research and asking expert people, the evidence suggested that the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock, Uluru, is indeed a place name with no specific meaning. Aboriginal people felt that the connection to ‘crying’ or ‘wailing’ was actually associated with ‘Yulara’, which is the name of the township where Ayers Rock Resort is located. There are several named places on the south western side of the Rock (near the Park HQ) which refer to shade or shadows. (The ‘ul-‘ sound refers to shade or shadow in several Central Australian Aboriginal languages ). There may be some connection of the word ‘Uluru’ to shadows or shade, however, the Aboriginal men I spoke with did not suggest this. So we can conclude that just as Niagara Falls is the name of a place, or London or the Amazon River, so too is Uluru. It does not mean ‘Earth Mother’. It does not mean ‘big rock’. It does not mean ‘island mountain’.

(This is an error lifted from a description on a topographical map!) It does not mean ‘Rainbow Dreaming’ or ‘Heart Chakra Dreaming’ or any other New Age nonsense. If you are using my page as a source for your own webpages, please make sure that you don’t promote any of the myths about Uluru’s name. Feel free to use this information, knowing that it is the real truth. 3. One Rock, but Many Names and Places Another thing that’s useful to know is that there not just one Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock, but that Aboriginal people have named many of the individual features of Uluru, such as caves and waterholes, as well. For example, all of the caves, valleys, waterholes and even a particular place right on the top of Ayers Rock have specific names. Many of these named places on Uluru are sacred sites. Although Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people consider all of Ayers Rock to be spiritually significant, they strongly distinguish between sacred sites and the rest of the Rock. The photo below is a satellite photo, and I’ve labelled all of the places names and sacred sites around the Rock.

It’s important for visitors to understand the distinction between a place name and a sacred site. All Aboriginal people in Central Australia have a word in their languages that means ‘sacred site’. To an Aboriginal person, when a place is deemed as a sacred site, there are often restrictions on who can visit, when they may visit and the rituals and songs they need to know to visit such places. This means that some places on Ayers Rock may only be seen by initiated men, or by Aboriginal women. Places become sacred sites because Dreamtime beings travelled through, or performed some action, at that particular place and are still considered to be there, performing that action. Although Aboriginal people acknowledge that non-Aboriginal people want to visit their sacred places (and in Central Australia, most of the ‘top’ destinations are sacred sites), there are some places which they request that people stay away from. This is why that Aboriginal people at Ayers Rock request that visitors don’t climb the Rock, and in some places, request that photographs aren’t taken. So you can see that the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock is at first glance, just a place name.

However, Uluru has not just one named place, but many and these are often of great spiritual importance to Aboriginal people. Please Read This: Even after furnishing all of this evidence, we still receive comments and emails from people who do not accept that Uluru has no special meaning. We have recently had someone insist that an unnamed ‘elder’ at Uluru told her that the name meant ‘island mountain’. This person refused to believe not only the anthropological and historical evidence, but the evidence given by Aboriginal Elders with whom we have worked over a long period of time. This is deeply insulting, ignorant and ethnocentric. So, all we ask is that if you do not believe what is written here, that you seek out the original sources mentioned above. If you are very lucky, you may be able to speak with some of the true Elders at Uluru (they will NOT be tour guides or rangers – they are now all very old people in their late 70s and 80s). Lastly, if you’ve found this page interesting and useful, please share it via Twitter, Facebook or Google+.

Aboriginal Cultural Experiences | Indigenous Culture | Uluru Resort Ayers Rock View Tour Bush Yarn Welcome to the Circle of Sand, the Indigenous heart of Ayers Rock Resort. You will quickly become captivated by the yarns told by an Indigenous storyteller about Aboriginal history, culture and traditional techniques used on the land. Dependant on the season, learn about traditional bushtucker or an Indigenous man&rsquo;s &ldquo;survival kit&rdquo; including weapons such as katjii (hunting spears), tjutinpa (clubs), kali (boomerangs) and miru (spear thrower). Tour duration approx 30 minutes. View Tour Garden Walk - Desert Gardens Hotel Desert Gardens Hotel is famous for it's magnificent gardens full of local flora, this is an opportunity to learn about the intricacies of an outback garden with an Indigenous guide. Learn how Indigenous people traditionally lived by using the bush for food and medicinal purposes. Alternatively, collect a free Garden Walk Pocket Guide from your hotel reception for a self-guided tour. Tour duration approx. 1 hour.

View Item 3 Day A-Reserve Package This 3 day/2 night ACO Uluru Festival itinerary includes A Reserve seating plus a number of tours and dining experiences to make the most of your weekend. This itinerary includes: A Reserve seating in all 3 concerts Refreshment before each concert Poolside Welcome Dinner Uluru Cultural Tour Gala Dinner Uluru in View Sunrise and Field of Light RECOMMENDED HOTEL FOR THis ITINERARY: 5* SAILS IN THE DESERT or 4.5* DESERT GARDENS HOTEL View Item 3 Day Best of Uluru Itinerary Experience everything Uluru and the surrounds has to offer with the top once-in-a-lifetime tours and activities on this 2 night Best of Uluru stay including: Sounds of Silence dinner under the stars Desert Awakenings sunrise tour Kata Tjuta Sunset Various guest activities About Ayers Rock - Uluru (Ayers Rock) Australia About Ayers Rock - Uluru (Ayers Rock) Australia Longitude 131 About Ayers Rock Ayers Rock is one of the most impressive landmarks in Australia. A huge chunk of sandstone and a ‘true’ monolith, it resides in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

Ayers Rock is located down towards the southwest corner of the Northern Territory and close to the geographic centre of Australia. Learn about Ayers Rock The rock is huge, jutting up about 350m from its barren surrounds. And more interestingly, Ayers Rock extends even further than this amount below ground. Although there are other, similar entities to Ayers Rock – most notably the nearby Olgas and Mount Augustus in Western Australia – it is the only singular monolith with its composition. A World Heritage site, Ayers Rock also goes by the Aboriginal name of Uluru. Aboriginal tribes were living in the area 10,000 years ago. White men did not come onto the scene until the 1870s, when William Gosse named it for Henry Ayers, the then-South Australia Chief Secretary. Ayers Rock is sometimes incorrectly written as Ayres Rock, Ayes Rock, Ares Rock, Eyers Rock, Eyres Rock, Aires Rock and Airs Rock. The Pitjantjatjara Aboriginals own the land around and about Ayers Rock today.

Ayers Rock is about 335kms to the southwest of Alice Springs – 463kms by road, about five hours – and is served by the small resort town of Yulara. This is where tourists stay ad most people spend the night, either in hotel accommodation or camping; there are no actual camping or other facilities within the park itself. Visitors can climb Uluru – Ayers Rock as well as explore the base of it, which is around 10kms by footpath. The trip up takes a good couple of hours there and back. Although if you’re fit and hotfoot it, it can be done in 20 or 30 minutes (not recommended in the summer). It’s best to observe the rock during sunrise and sunset, when its terracotta hue morphs into a violet/blue tinge. Map of Australia's Red Centre Uluru / Ayers Rock Unique Facts about Oceania: Ayers Rock usa | world | animals | vocabulary | health | science | math | history Ayers Rock Uluru (also Ayers Rock or The Rock) is a large rock formation in central Australia, in the Northern Territory.

It is located in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, 400 km southwest of Alice Springs. It is the second largest monolith in the world (after Mount Augustus, also in Australia), more than 318 metres (986 ft) high and 8 km (5 mi) around. It also extends 2.5 km (1.5 miles) into the ground. It was described by explorer Ernest Giles in 1872 as "the remarkable pebble". Uluru at dusk Uluru is notable for appearing to change colour as the different light strikes it at different times of the day and year, with sunset a particularly remarkable sight. The rock is made of sandstone infused with minerals like feldspar (Arkosic sandstone) that reflect the red light of sunrise and sunset, making it appear to glow. The rock gets its rust color from oxidation. Uluru is sacred to the Aborigines and has many varied springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Ayers Rock was the name given to it by European settlers, after the Premier of South Australia Henry Ayers.

Uluru is the name in a local Aboriginal language (Arrente), and since the 1980s has been the officially preferred name, although many people, especially non-Australians, still call it Ayers Rock. Uluru, this time purple in the afternoon The Aboriginal community of Mutitjulu (pop. approx. 150) is near the western end of Uluru. From Uluru it is about 21 km to the tourist town of Yulara (pop. 3,000), which is situated just outside of the National Park. Kata Tjuta, which literally means 'Many Heads' owing to its peculiar formation, is another rock formation about 25 km from Uluru. They are called the Olgas by many Australians. Special viewing areas with road access and ample parking have been constructed in order to give tourists the best views of both sites at dawn and dusk.In 1980, baby Azaria Chamberlain disappeared while she and her parents were camping near Uluru. Her mother Lindy Chamberlain reported that Azaria had been taken by a dingo, sparking the most publicised trial in Australian history.

On 26 October 1985, the Australian Government returned ownership of Uluru to the local Aboriginal people, the Anangu (or 'people'), of the Pitjantjatjara tribe, who then leased it back to the Government for 99 years as a National Park, even though the government broke two of the promises they had made to them earlier. The local indigenous community request that visitors respect the sacred status of Uluru by not climbing the rock, with signs posted to this effect. Uluru, appearing yellow at midday In 1983 the former Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke, promised to respect the request from the community that climbing Uluru be prohibited, but broke his promise when title was handed to the Traditional Owners in 1985 because access for tourists to climb Uluru was made a necessary condition before they could receive the title. The climb crosses an important dreaming track, which has been a cause of sadness and distress among Traditional Owners. Neverthless, they are unable, due to prohibit climbing, and climbing Uluru is a popular attraction for a large fraction of the many tourists who visit it each year.

A rope handhold makes the climb easier, but it is still quite a long and steep climb and many intended climbers give up partway. There are several deaths a year as a direct result of climbing the rock, mainly from heart failure. Uluru - Credo Reference Topic Page: Uluru Definition: Ayers Rock from Philip's Encyclopedia (Uluru) Outcrop of rock, 448km (280mi) SW of Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. Named after the South Australian politician Sir Henry Ayers (1821-97), it remained undiscovered by Europeans until 1872. It stands 348m (1142ft) high, and is the second largest single rock in the world - the distance around its base is c.10km (6mi). The rock, caves of which are decorated with ancient paintings, is of great religious significance to Native Australians.

Summary Article: ULURU, AUSTRALIA from Encyclopedia of Sacred Places Image from: Ayers Rock in The Bridgeman Art Library Archive The two Aboriginal holy places in the Australian desert are known to white Australians as Ayers Rock and the Olgas and to the Aboriginals as Uluru and Kata Tjuta. While they remain sacred sites for the Aboriginal people of Australia, in recent years they have also taken on importance for New Age practitioners. Uluru is a sandstone dome that rises out of the flat plains as a giant rounded outcrop. At sunrise and sunset it glows with a bright red reflection that gives it a supernatural aspect. A thousand feet high, it stretches for 2.6 miles with a width of 1.6 miles. Uluru is the largest isolated rock in the world. It is bare without the least hint of vegetation, and this starkness adds to its arresting beauty and mysterious bearing. The base of Uluru is a contrast; runoff from the rains leaves pools around the base, nourishing a fertile circle of rich greenery and supporting a variety of wildlife.

The oasis conditions have made Uluru a ceremonial place for the Aborigines, who camp in its caves and around the Rock, sustained by the waters and available food. Aboriginal myth begins with a period called Dreamtime, in which ancestral beings roamed the earth, creating the traditional ways the Aborigines followed and the shapes of the earth itself. The physical marks that the ancestral beings left on the earth hardened into rock, and the features of the land are believed to be their dead bodies. Thus, outcrops like Uluru are considered forces that can still give life. The record of Dreamtime is found in the rock, its fissures, cliffs, and caves. These meanings are expressed in chants passed on to the youth in songs at initiation ceremonies conducted in the caves along the base of Uluru. Various outcrops represent different spirits, and by touching the rock, an Aborigine can invoke the ancestral spirits for support and blessing and put himself in communication with Dreamtime. There are many legendary tales to account for the physical features of Uluru. Some provide mythical explanations for things that are considered gifts of the ancestral spirits, such as the hunting boomerang.

Others recount fierce battles between groups of ancestral heroes, resulting in curses such as the creation of the dingo, a wild dog that has been known to kill or carry off babies. In Dreamtime, two tribes were invited to a feast but became distracted by a group of beautiful Sleepy Lizard Women and dallied at a waterhole where Uluru now stands. Angry at having their hospitality rejected, the waiting hosts sang evil into a mud and wattle shape until it came to life as the dingo. A hideous slaughter followed, and then a great battle, ending with the deaths of the leaders on both sides. Then the earth itself rose up to mourn the bloodshed—this rising up in grief is Uluru. In the initiation cave are ancient wall paintings recounting this lore for the teenage initiates. Each clan has a protective animal, its totem, whose spirit oversees its affairs. The cave of those with the hare wallaby totem (mala), for example, is marked with dark stains, the blood of their hero ancestors who died in the great battle before time. Mala men cut themselves during cave ceremonies in unity with their ancestors.

Uluru was under government administration until 1985, when it was returned to the Aborigines. The government manages it under an Aborigine board. But the increasing pressure of 300,000 tourists annually has presented a serious problem, since Aborigines consider it sacrilegious to climb the rock. By tradition, only Mala males may climb the rock face. Despite this tradition, the government has established a regular route to the top as a hiking path for tourists. New Age practitioners often use it, since some of them have appropriated Dreamtime into their religious theory. In 1987, the Uluru-Tjuta National Park was entered onto the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites. The park receives about 400,000 visitors a year, which has deepened environmental and safety concerns. In 2009 the government proposed a plan that would forbid all climbing. See also: Mountains, Kata Tjuta, New Age, Ubirr REFERENCES Cowan, James , The Aborigine Tradition. Element Books Shaftesbury, UK, 1992. Layton, Robert , Uluru: An Aboriginal History of Ayers Rock.

Canberra, Australia, Institute of Aboriginal Studies, revised edition, 2001. Mountford, Charles , Ayers Rock: Its People, Their Belief, and Their Art. East-West Center Honolulu, HI, 1965. Copyright 2011 by ABC-CLIO, LLC Uluru and Aboriginal Culture - Uluru (Ayers Rock) Australia Uluru and Aboriginal Culture - Uluru (Ayers Rock) Australia Longitude 131 Uluru and Aboriginal Culture The area around Uluru was settled thousands of years ago, and although it was ‘discovered’ by the white man in the 1800s, Uluru and Aboriginal culture are very much entwined today. In fact, Uluru (Ayers Rock) is sacred to the local Pitjantjatjara tribe that live here. It was said to have come about during the much fabled Dreamtime. Although people have been visiting and climbing Uluru for years, the Aborigines would prefer they didn’t. Aboriginal ancestors walked the path that tourists do today, and many of the caves around the rock hold deep meanings for them and contain ancient rock paintings.

Uluru is a World Heritage site, and although part of a protected national park, there may come a time when it could be off-limits to climbers. Why is Uluru sacred? Aboriginal culture dictates that Uluru was formed by ancestral beings during Dreamtime. The rock’s many caves and fissures are thought to be evidence of this, and some of the forms around Uluru are said to represent ancestral spirits. Rituals are still often held today in the caves around the base where ‘No Photography’ signs are posted out of respect. To learn more about Uluru and Aboriginal culture onsite, the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Aboriginal Cultural Centre is the place to visit. It lies just south of Uluru in an intriguing building. The Anangu people here tell visitors stories about their ancestors and the rock in general. There are also arts and crafts available for purchase in the souvenir shop. Visitors can also do Anangu Tours with Aboriginal guides in order to gain more insight into Aboriginal culture and Uluru. These encompass the Liru Walk, and tourists get to learn about the Blue Tongue Lizard Man while learning traditional bush skills.

Map of Australia's Red Centre Uluru / Ayers Rock Top tips for responsible travel in Aboriginal Australia - Lonely Planet Top tips for responsible travel in Aboriginal Australia Tips & articles Lonely Planet Writer In the rush of excitement to see the world's best sights one can sometimes forget to acknowledge their sanctity. This is certainly true in Central Australia, where most of the top tourist magnets, like Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), have their significance anchored in ancient Aboriginal cultures. You don't need to brush up on all the complex politics of post-colonial Australia before you head Down Under, but by trying to be both sensitive and courteous you will have a richer and more memorable experience of this ancient and spiritual country. Aboriginal artist at work, Central Desert Australia. Image by Frans Lanting / Mint Images / Getty Going on tour Despite the heavy concentration of stunning and accessible sites of Aboriginal importance in Central Australia, the number of tour operators that focus on Aboriginal culture or work with Aboriginal communities is still relatively low. It’s well worth doing your research and hunting out small, ethical operators. Doing a tour provides a good opportunity to support Indigenous owned-and-run initiatives, with profits going back to local communities.

Children playing in the desert. Image by Ingetje Tadros / The Image Bank / Getty Images RT Tours Australia ( rttoursaustralia.com.au ) offers Aboriginal-led experiences with a focus on bush foods; Jungala ( jungala.com.au ) has one-day culture walks, or half-day bike rides, with an Aboriginal guide; and Rainbow Valley Cultural Tours ( rainbowvalleyculturaltours.com ) organises visits to Rainbow Valley with a traditional custodian. For self-starters: the design of the unforgettable and instructive Alice Springs Desert Park ( alicespringsdesertpark.com.au ), located on traditional land just outside of town, was inspired by the Arrernte worldview that unites desert plants, animals, people and land. From Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Yulara, the adjacent purpose-built tourist resort, Uluru Aboriginal Tours ( uluruaboriginaltours.com.au ) will help you gain an appreciation of Uluru’s cultural significance. It is owned and operated by Anangu from the Mutitjulu community. SEIT Outback Australia ( seitoutbackaustralia.com.au ) also runs an all-day, immersive and culture-centred trip to Cave Hill.

Buying Aboriginal art Art is probably the most visible manifestation of Australian Aboriginal culture. And this country has the longest continuing art tradition in the world, which is also an economic mainstay of the Aboriginal community. When buying Aboriginal art a bit of research will help you make informed and ethical decisions. Before you travel to the Red Centre, consult Desart ( desart.com.au ), the industry body for over forty Central Australian Aboriginal-owned art centres. Desart supports and represents these art centres, all of which are vital parts of community life, especially in remote Central Australia. They are also arguably the most ethical places to buy Aboriginal art. In-town Alice Springs art centres include Mwerre Anthurre Artists (Bindi; bindiart.com ), Tangentyere Artists ( tangentyereartists.org.au ), Tjanpi Desert Weavers ( tjanpi.com.au ) and Yarrenyty Arltere Artists. At Uluru, look in the Cultural Centre for the Maruku Arts ( maruku.com.au ) and Walkatjara Art stores. All art centres welcome visitors, but it is always best to call ahead for planning and out of respect for culture.

Most are also represented in Alice Springs by Talapi ( talapi.com.au ), a central gallery that promotes the artists and artworks of Desart members. For more helpful information about purchasing Aboriginal art, check out the Indigenous Art Code ( indigenousartcode.org ), a system to preserve and promote ethical trading in indigenous art, and read the short Purchasing Australian Aboriginal Art, A Consumer Guide ( ankaaa.org.au ). Aboriginal and Australian flags in Todd Mall, Alice Springs. Image by NH53 / CC BY 2.0 Respecting privacy For visitors to Central Australia, being aware of privacy and its importance to Indigenous Australians is a basic ethical travel requirement. Understanding issues around privacy demonstrates respect for Aboriginal culture. For example, permits are required to visit many communities. This system helps ensure the privacy of these communities. Permits need to be organised well in advance (many are free!) from the Central Land Council ( clc.org.au ) in Alice Springs. If you visit an Aboriginal community, wait until asked before approaching homes or people. And remember that funerals and cultural ceremonies are times where privacy is particularly important (okay that just goes without saying for most cultures doesn’t it?).

Even when visiting tourist sites that are places of cultural significance, some areas may be closed or have restricted access, please respect this, and ask if you are unsure. Even when outdoors, just imagine you’re in a church with a sign that says: private do not enter. Don’t go through that metaphoric door. Another example of ignoring the signs: climbing Uluru (Ayers Rock). Many travellers ignore the custodians of this awe-inspiring rock's advice. For safety, environmental and important cultural reasons the local Anangu Aboriginal community has never condoned the climbing of the rock yet thousands of visitors do it each year (some regret it afterwards). Would you climb the main altar of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome because you like a good view, or splash around in the National 9/11 Memorial because you felt like cooling down that day? A 2012 management plan recommended the Uluru climb be closed – two years later it remains open. On the road near the environmentally and culturally sensitive Uluru (Ayers Rock).

Image by Joan Campderrós-i-Canas / CC BY 2.0 The environment Indigenous people have a unique relationship with the land and water of their country which entails the care and protection of the environment. There are many ways you can respect this spiritual relationship to country. World Explorer Ayers Rock is also known by its Aboriginal name 'Uluru' Uluru is considered once of the great wonders of the world. Ayers Rock is a large magnetic mound large not unlike Silbury Hill in England . It is located on a major planetary grid point much like the great pyramid in Egypt . Uluru (also Ayers Rock or The Rock) is a large rock formation in central Australia , in the Northern Territory . It is located in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, 350 km southwest of Alice Springs at 25 degrees 20' 41" S 131 degrees 01' 57" E. It is the second-largest monolith in the world (after Mount Augustus , also in Australia ), more than 318 m (986 ft) high and 8 km (5 miles) around.

It also extends 2.5 km (1.5 miles) into the ground. It was described by explorer Ernest Giles in 1872 as "the remarkable pebble". Kata Tjuta National Park is owned and run by the local Aboriginals. The Australian government handed ownership of the land back to the Aboriginals some years ago. Climbing Uluru - The local indigenous community request that visitors respect the sacred status of Uluru by not climbing the rock, with signs posted to this effect. In 1983 the former Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke, promised to respect the request from the community that climbing Uluru be prohibited, but broke his promise when title was handed to the traditional owners in 1985 because access for tourists to climb Uluru was made a condition before they could receive the title. The climb crosses an important dreaming track, which has been a cause of sadness and distress among traditional owners. Neverthless, they are unable to prohibit climbing, and climbing Uluru is a popular attraction for a large fraction of the many tourists who visit it each year.

A rope handhold makes the climb easier, but it is still quite a long and steep climb and many intended climbers give up partway up. There are several deaths a year as a direct result of climbing the rock, mainly from heart failure. The Rock is arkose, a course-grained sandstone rich in feldspar at least 2.5 km thick. Uplifting and folding between 400-300 mya turned the sedimentary layers nearly 90 degrees to their present position. The surface has then been eroded. Depending on the time of day and the atmospheric conditions, the rock can dramatically change color, anything from blue to violet to glowing red ! Many avid photographers set up for days and record the many changing colors of Uluru. Ayers Rock was named for the Premier of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. It extends down over 3 and a half miles beneath the surface. Approximately 500 million years ago it was part of the ocean floor at the center of Australia . Some report that there is a light source emanating at various times of the year. Most likely this can be explained scientifically.

The Aborigines believe that there it is hollow below ground, and that there is an energy source that they call 'Tjukurpa' the dream time. The term Tjukurpa is also used to refer to the record of all activities of a particular ancestral being from the very beginning of his or her travels to their end. Anangu know that the area around Ayers Rock ( Mount Uluru ) is inhabited by dozens of ancestral 'beings' whose activities are recorded at many other sites. At each site, the events that took place can be recounted, whether those events were of significance or whether the ancestral being just rested at a certain place before going on. Usually, there is a physical feature of some form at each ancestral site which represents both the activities of the ancestral being at the time of its formation and the living presence of Tjukurpa within that physical feature today. For the Australian Aboriginal people, that physical feature, whatever its form or appearance, animate or inanimate, is the Tjukurpa. It may be a rock, a sand hill, a grove of trees, a cave. For all of these, the creative essence remains forever within the physical form or appearance.

Around Mount Uluru there are many examples of ancestral sites. The Anangu explanations of these sites and of the formation of Mount Uluru itself derive from the Tjukurpa. Most of these explanations are in the realm of secret information and are not disclosed to Piranypa, the non-Aborigines. 'The Dreaming' is not a creation myth, per se, but a myth of formation. The world existed, but was featureless. Giant semi-human beings, resembling plants or animals, rose up from the plains where they had been slumbering for countless ages. These ancient heroes roamed the land aimlessly. As they wandered around, they carried out the tasks that the present Aborigines do today including camping, making fires, digging for water, fighting each other, and performing ceremonies. When the heroes became tired of doing these things, Dreamtime came to an end. Wherever the creators had been active, some form of natural feature now marks the place. The creators made everything with which the aborigines are in daily contact and from which they gain their living. The heroes also established laws that govern all aspects, both secular and sacred, of the tribes.

Dreamtime was in the past, but it is the Aborigines present religion and culture. The saying, 'As it was done in the Dreamtime, so it must be done today,' dominates all aspects of aboriginal behavior. Because of their beliefs in 'the dreaming,' ceremonies and rituals are held, stories are told, pictures are drawn, and daily life is defined. In order to understand the religion of the Aborigines, one must have a basic understanding of the organization of the tribes. All men and women belong to small groups, called clans. Each clan posses a distinct body of spiritual properties, or sacred sites. A clan may have several sacred sites that they claim, and the area surrounded by the connection of these sites forms the clan's estate. Clans are linked by common religious traditions, intermarriage, shared dialects, and overlapping foraging rights. Stone monument made by the heroic ancestors Clans people of the crow believe they are descended from the Dreamtime's crow spirit who became a man. Each clan has a totem.

'Totemism is a view of nature and life, of the universe and man, which colors and influences the Aborigines' social groupings and mythologies, inspires their rituals and links them to the past. It unites them with nature's activities and species in a bond of mutual life-giving, and imparts confidence amidst the vicissitudes of life'. The totem provides a tangible expression of a man's relationship to his deities. Everything in the Aboriginal world contains an essence or spirit that had its beginnings in the Dreamtime. Each person descended from one of these spirits and possessed some of its life force. The spirit it descended from is the person's totem. Images of totems make-up a large part of Aboriginal art. They were painted on cave walls, which we title rock art, drawn on the interiors of their huts, drawn on their bodies, and carved in wood. Totemic spirits are celebrated in ceremonies and rituals, and played a prominent part in Aboriginal myth. Ayers Rock - Dreamtime Story Tjati tries to retrieve his kali In the creation period, Tatji, the small Red Lizard, who lived on the mulgi flats, came to Uluru.

He threw his kali, a curved throwing stick, and it became embedded in the surface. He used his hands to scoop it out in his efforts to retrieve his kali, leaving a series of bowl-shaped hollows. The cave where Tjati died at Kantju Unable to recover his kali, he finally died in this cave. His implements and bodily remains survive as large boulders on the cave floor. Mita and Lungkata's Emu Meal The Bell-Bird brothers, were stalking an emu. The disturbed animal ran northward toward Uluru. Two blue-tongued lizard men, Mita and Lungkata, killed it, and butchered it with a stone axe. Large joints of meat survive as a fractured slab of sandstone. The Body of Lungkata When the Bell-Bird brothers arrived, the lizards handed them a skinny portion of emu, claiming there was nothing else. In revenge, the Bell-Bird brothers set fire to the Lizard's shelter. The men tried to escape by climbing the rock face, but fell and were burned to death. The gray lichen on the rock face is the smoke from the fire and the lizard men are two half-buried boulders.

Uluru Rock Art In several caves in Uluru, rock represents many stories of the Dreamtime. The paintings are regularly renewed, with layer upon layer of paint, dating back many thousands of years. Ayers Rock, Uluru - Crystalinks Ayers Rock Ayers Rock is also known by its Aboriginal name 'Uluru'. It is a sacred part of Aboriginal creation mythology, or dreamtime - reality being a dream. Uluru is considered one of the great wonders of the world and one of Australia's most recognizable natural icons. Uluru is a large magnetic mound large not unlike Silbury Hill in England. It is located on a major planetary grid point much like the Great Pyramid in Egypt. Ayers Rock is a large sandstone rock formation in central Australia, in the Northern Territory. It is located in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, 350 km southwest of Alice Springs at 25 degrees 20' 41" S 131 degrees 01' 57" E. It is the second-largest monolith in the world (after Mount Augustus, also in Australia), more than 318 m (986 ft) high and 8 km (5 miles) around.

It also extends 2.5 km (1.5 miles) into the ground. It was described by explorer Ernest Giles in 1872 as "the remarkable pebble".' Uluru is an inselberg, literally "island mountain", an isolated remnant left after the slow erosion of an original mountain range. Uluru is also often referred to as a monolith, although this is a somewhat ambiguous term because of its multiple meanings, and thus a word generally avoided by geologists. The remarkable feature of Uluru is its homogeneity and lack of jointing and parting at bedding surfaces, leading to the lack of development of scree slopes and soil. These characteristics led to its survival, while the surrounding rocks were eroded. For the purpose of mapping and describing the geological history of the area, geologists refer to the rock strata making up Uluru as the Mutitjulu Arkose, and it is one of many sedimentary formations filling the Amadeus Basin.

Close Up Rain Age and Origin The Mutitjulu Arkose is believed to be of about the same age as the conglomerate at Kata Tjuta, and to have a similar origin despite the rock type being different, but it is younger than the rocks exposed to the east at Mount Conner, and unrelated to them. The strata at Uluru are nearly vertical, dipping to the south west at 85 degrees, and have an exposed thickness of at least 2,400 m (7,900 ft). The strata dip below the surrounding plain and no doubt extend well beyond Uluru in the subsurface, but the extent is not known. The rock was originally sand, deposited as part of an extensive alluvial fan that extended out from the ancestors of the Musgrave, Mann and Petermann Ranges to the south and west, but separate from a nearby fan that deposited the sand, pebbles and cobbles that now make up Kata Tjuta. The similar mineral composition of the Mutitjulu Arkose and the granite ranges to the south is now explained. The ancestors of the ranges to the south were once much larger than the eroded remnants we see today.

They were thrust up during a mountain building episode referred to as the Petermann Orogeny that took place in late Neoproterozoic to early Cambrian times (550-530 Ma), and thus the Mutitjulu Arkose is believed to have been deposited at about the same time. The arkose sandstone which makes up the formation is composed of grains that show little sorting based on grain size, exhibit very little rounding and the feldspars in the rock are relatively fresh in appearance. This lack of sorting and grain rounding is typical of arkosic sandstones and is indicative of relatively rapid erosion from the granites of the growing mountains to the south. The layers of sand were nearly horizontal when deposited, but were later tilted to their near vertical position during a later episode of mountain building, possibly the Alice Springs Orogeny of Palaeozoic age (400-300 Ma). Despite current estimates of the age of the geological formations that comprise Uluru, however, the arkose sandstone which makes up the formation is composed of grains that are many different sizes and are jagged, and the feldspars in the rock are fresh and shiny.

Flood geologists argue that this indicates a comparatively fast deposit, on the order of only a few years or less. They state that if the arkose grains had been transported more slowly they would be more rounded and evenly sorted, and the feldspars would have turned to clay in the intervening years. History Archaeological findings to the east and west indicate that humans settled in the area more than 10,000 years ago. Europeans arrived in the Australian Western Desert in the 1870s. Uluru and Kata Tjuta were first mapped by Europeans in 1872 during the expeditionary period made possible by the construction of the Australian Overland Telegraph Line. In separate expeditions, Ernest Giles and William Gosse were the first European explorers to this area. While exploring the area in 1872, Giles sighted Kata Tjuta from a location near Kings Canyon and called it Mount Olga, while the following year Gosse observed Uluru and named it Ayers Rock. Further explorations followed with the aim of establishing the possibilities of the area for pastoralism.

In the late 1800s, pastoralists attempted to establish themselves in areas adjoining the South western/Petermann Reserve and interaction between Anangu and white people became more frequent and more violent. Due to the effects of grazing and drought, bush food stores became depleted. Competition for these resources created conflict between the two groups, resulting in more frequent police patrols. Later, during the depression in the 1930s, Anangu became involved in dingo scalping with 'doggers' who introduced Anangu to European foods and ways. Between 1918 and 1921, large adjoining areas of South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory were declared as Aboriginal reserves, sanctuaries for nomadic people who had virtually no contact with European settlers. In 1920, part of Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park was declared an Aboriginal Reserve (commonly known as the South-Western or Petermann Reserve) by the Australian government under the Aboriginals Ordinance. The first tourists arrived in the Uluru area in 1936. Beginning in the 1940s, permanent European settlement of the area for reasons of the Aboriginal welfare policy and to help promote tourism of Uluru.

This increased tourism prompted the formation of the first vehicular tracks in 1948 and tour bus services began early in the following decade. In 1958, the area that would become the Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park was excised from the Petermann Reserve; it was placed under the management of the Northern Territory Reserves Board and named the Ayers Rock - Mount Olga National Park. The first ranger was Bill Harney, a well-recognised central Australian figure. By 1959, the first motel leases had been granted and Eddie Connellan had constructed an airstrip close to the northern side of Uluru. On 26 October 1985, the Australian government returned ownership of Uluru to the local Pitjantjatjara Aborigines, with one of the conditions being that the Anangu would lease it back to the National Parks and Wildlife agency for 99 years and that it would be jointly managed. The Aboriginal community of Mutitjulu, population of approximately 300, is located near the western end of Uluru.

From Uluru it is 17 km (11 mi) by road to the tourist town of Yulara, population 3,000, which is situated just outside of the national park. Kata Tjuta National Park is owned and run by the local Aboriginals. The Australian government handed ownership of the land back to the Aboriginals some years ago. Uluru has many caves, some decorated with rock art depicting Dreamtime myths dating back thousands of years. The Caves The caves in Uluru can be both engaging and enlightening. To truly experience the power of Ayers Rock, your journey should be more than a few hours. Take your time to absorb the history of the springs, caves, and ancient paintings throughout the formation and don't worry about running your business . The first Aboriginal settlers arrived there more than 10,000 years ago and created a historical journey that would be difficult to transverse overnight so the recommendation for any tourists traveling to the formation has always been to allow more time to absorb the area without being distracted. Mount Urulu Turned Violet Uluru went from red to violet on June 1, 2004, waterfalls on the rocks causing the color change.

Ayers Rock was named for the Premier of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. It extends down over 3 and a half miles beneath the surface. Approximately 500 million years ago it was part of the ocean floor at the center of Australia. Some report that there is a light source emanating at various times of the year. Most likely this can be explained scientifically. The Aborigines believe that there it is hollow below ground, and that there is an energy source that they call 'Tjukurpa' the dream time. The term Tjukurpa is also used to refer to the record of all activities of a particular ancestral being from the very beginning of his or her travels to their end. Anangu know that the area around Ayers Rock (Mount Uluru) is inhabited by dozens of ancestral 'beings' whose activities are recorded at many other sites. At each site, the events that took place can be recounted, whether those events were of significance or whether the ancestral being just rested at a certain place before going on.

Usually, there is a physical feature of some form at each ancestral site which represents both the activities of the ancestral being at the time of its formation and the living presence of Tjukurpa within that physical feature today. For the Australian Aboriginal people, that physical feature, whatever its form or appearance, animate or inanimate, is the Tjukurpa. It may be a rock, a sand hill, a grove of trees, a cave. For all of these, the creative essence remains forever within the physical form or appearance. Around Mount Uluru there are many examples of ancestral sites. The Anangu explanations of these sites and of the formation of Mount Uluru itself derive from the Tjukurpa. Most of these explanations are in the realm of secret information and are not disclosed to Piranypa, the non-Aborigines. 'The Dreaming' is not a creation myth, per se, but a myth of formation. The world existed, but was featureless. Giant semi-human beings, resembling plants or animals, rose up from the plains where they had been slumbering for countless ages. These ancient heroes roamed the land aimlessly.

As they wandered around, they carried out the tasks that the present Aborigines do today including camping, making fires, digging for water, fighting each other, and performing ceremonies. When the heroes became tired of doing these things, Dreamtime came to an end. Wherever the creators had been active, some form of natural feature now marks the place. The creators made everything with which the aborigines are in daily contact and from which they gain their living. The heroes also established laws that govern all aspects, both secular and sacred, of the tribes. Dreamtime was in the past, but it is the Aborigines present religion and culture. The saying, 'As it was done in the Dreamtime, so it must be done today,' dominates all aspects of aboriginal behavior. Because of their beliefs in 'the dreaming,' ceremonies and rituals are held, stories are told, pictures are drawn, and daily life is defined. In order to understand the religion of the Aborigines, one must have a basic understanding of the organization of the tribes. All men and women belong to small groups, called clans. Each clan posses a distinct body of spiritual properties, or sacred sites.

A clan may have several sacred sites that they claim, and the area surrounded by the connection of these sites forms the clan's estate. Clans are linked by common religious traditions, intermarriage, shared dialects, and overlapping foraging rights. Stone monument made by the heroic ancestors Clans people of the crow believe they are descended from the Dreamtime's crow spirit who became a man. Each clan has a totem. 'Totemism is a view of nature and life, of the universe and man, which colors and influences the Aborigines' social groupings and mythologies, inspires their rituals and links them to the past. It unites them with nature's activities and species in a bond of mutual life-giving, and imparts confidence amidst the vicissitudes of life'. The totem provides a tangible expression of a man's relationship to his deities. Everything in the Aboriginal world contains an essence or spirit that had its beginnings in the Dreamtime. Each person descended from one of these spirits and possessed some of its life force. The spirit it descended from is the person's totem. Images of totems make-up a large part of Aboriginal art.

They were painted on cave walls, which we title rock art, drawn on the interiors of their huts, drawn on their bodies, and carved in wood. Totemic spirits are celebrated in ceremonies and rituals, and played a prominent part in Aboriginal myth. Myths, Legends and Aboriginal Traditions According to the Anangu traditional landowners of Uluru: "The world was once a featureless place. None of the places we know existed until creator beings, in the forms of people, plants and animals, traveled widely across the land. Then, in a process of creation and destruction, they formed the landscape as we know it today. Anangu land is still inhabited by the spirits of dozens of these ancestral creator beings which are referred to as Tjukuritja or Waparitja." There are a number of unauthenticated accounts of the Aboriginal ancestral stories for the origins of Uluru and its many cracks and fissures. One such account, taken from Robert Layton's (1989) ULURU: An Aboriginal history of Ayers Rock, reads as follows: "Uluru (Ayers Rock) was built up during the creation period by two boys who played in the mud after rain.

When they had finished their game they travelled south to Wiputa ..Fighting together, the two boys made their way to the table topped Mount Conner, on top of which their bodies are preserved as boulders" (Page 5) Two other accounts are given in Norbert Brockman's (1997) Encyclopedia of Sacred Places. The first tells of serpent beings who waged many wars around Uluru, scarring the rock. The second tells of two tribes of ancestral spirits who were invited to a feast, but were distracted by the beautiful Sleepy Lizard Women and did not show up. In response, the angry hosts sang evil into a mud sculpture that came to life as the dingo. There followed a great battle, which ended in the deaths of the leaders of both tribes. The earth itself rose up in grief at the bloodshed, becoming Uluru. The Commwealth Department of Environment's webpage advises: "Many ..

Tjukurpa such as Kalaya (Emu), Liru (poisonous snake), Lungkata (blue tongue lizard), Luunpa (kingfisher) and Tjintir-tjintirpa (willie wagtail) travel through Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Other Tjukurpa affect only one specific area. "Kuniya, the woma python, lived in the rocks at Uluru where she fought the Liru, the poisonous snake." It is sometimes reported that those who take rocks from the formation will be cursed and suffer misfortune. There have been many instances where people who removed such rocks attempted to mail them back to various agencies in an attempt to remove the perceived curse. In the News ... Flooding rains bring rare waterfalls to Australia's Uluru AFP - January 16, 2010 Heavy rains which flooded parts of Australia's vast desert centre have brought rare waterfalls spilling from the iconic monolith Uluru, or Ayers Rocks, officials said Saturday.

The deluge, which swept across much of the continent's east after a tropical cyclone last month, prompted a wave of green in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, home to the giant red rock. Uluru typically receives little more than 12 inches of rain a year, and January is its hottest, driest month, with temperatures topping to 45 degrees Celsius (113 F). Fireball at Ayers Rock NASA - June 28, 2008 A weekend trip for astrophotography in central Australia can result in gorgeous skyscapes. In this example recorded in March of 2006, the center of our Milky Way Galaxy rises over planet Earth's horizon and the large sandstone formation called Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock. After setting up two cameras to automatically image this celestial scene in a series of exposures, one through a wide-angle and the other through a telephoto lens, photographer Joseph Brimacombe briefly turned his back to set up other equipment. To his surprise, the ground around him suddenly lit up with the brilliant flash of a fireball meteor. To his delight, both cameras captured the bright meteor streak.

Highlighted in the telephoto view (inset), the fireball trail shines through cloud banks, just left of Ayers Rock. Satellite Photo [Click and Drag] Face Book: Ben's Journey to Kaja Kutja - Journey into the the Valley of the Winds

Question: What do Australian aborigines call Ayers Rock?
Answer: Uluru